


Summer at the Hawkins Community Pool

by Cari_J



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fuck Canon, I am fixing this mess, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Season 3, Season 3 Fix it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:58:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19664086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cari_J/pseuds/Cari_J
Summary: Billy & Heather are best friends who have crushes on the scoops ahoy crew.Season 3 Spoilers





	1. Chapter 1

Billy really needed a summer job, he couldn’t be in his house all summer without going crazy. He had one more school year till he was able to escape this shithole town and he was going to get out no matter what. So here Billy was looking at the local paper’s help wanted section with the new mall opening soon there were tons of places that were looking for people. None of them were that exciting till he saw that the pool was looking for lifeguards, he was already certified back in California, it would be easy here plus Billy loved the water. Sure it wasn’t the ocean but it was the closest that he would get here in Hawkins. Plus Max would probably get free entrance and since they had been getting closer since christman and her realizing Neil was the enemy and not not him due to the beating Billy got and one unfortunate incident at the supermarket with the Sinclairs. So her having an excuse to get out of the house would be good for her.

Heather Holloway would do anything to get out of the house. School had ended less than a week ago and her parents were already trying to set her up on dates and she didn’t have school as an excuse to say no anymore. So a summer job was her only choice but there was no way she would work at the Gap. Honestly the pool was the best option, minimal work for slightly more than minimum wage plus cute girls in bikinis. 

It was almost tragically too easy to get a job at the pool but Max was excited she would get to go to the pool for free and even Neil hadn’t made any comments about it. Though his coworkers didn’t seem all the great, Billy didn’t really have to interact with them which was another great point of the job. Heather had gotten the job and a new excuse for her parents and that was Billy Hargrove. He flirted with everyone and hopefully all she had to do was bat her eyelashes and he’d be hers for the summer. Sure it was kind of mean but Billy wasn’t all that nice either. Which was probably why all the girls liked him even Carol and she had been with Tommy forever. Heather didn’t see the appeal though he did have great hair. 

They had training tomorrow so she would make her move there. Then she would be free of her parents and could ogle all the girls she wanted since sunglasses were allowed as part of their uniform. She just had to buy the perfect pair and with the mall’s grand opening this weekend it would be the perfect outing to show off Billy. Sure she was getting head of herself but who would say no to her. 

“No.” Billy honestly wanted to laugh. No way he wasn’t going to “date” anyone this summer all her had to do was do was flirt with some girls and he would be good wouldn’t have to worry about Neil, the rumors would be enough.

“Fine.” Heather glared. Oh she would get him, she just needed the right leverage. No one said no to her, she said no to them. Sure she didn’t really need Billy for her plan to get her parents off her back about guys but at this point it was a matter of pride. No one turned down Heather Holloway. “We’ll see.” She said before walking off to stand by Katie and listen to the instructor on what they would need to do. 

The Pool’s opening day was tomorrow and Billy and Heather were working back to back on who was going to be the on duty lifeguard and who was going to be manning the entrance. If there was a time to get dirt on Billy it would be today, time was running out with her parents and her not working Saturday night meant that she could date that nice boy that had gotten a job at the post for the summer, Heather wanted to barf.


	2. Chapter 2

The pool opening was a great relief for the Stay at Home moms club because they could let their kids play in the pool while they talked and the lifeguards would make sure they were okay and the kids loved it so they could finally talk about stuff without having to make sure their kids wouldn’t hear anything scandalous. Karen Wheeler really couldn’t wait she had told her friends about Billy but she knew he would come to the pool as she had learned he was from California and how could he pass up going swimming again. They had been flirting for a while now and Karen liked it, Billy was hot and Ted barely paid attention to her anymore. She liked the attention that Billy gave and the flirting was harmless. So here she was on the opening day of the pool with her friends hoping to see Billy and see him she did. He was the new lifeguard, oh Karen was going to be going to the pool much more often now and it seemed like she wasn’t the only one thinking that as she could see her friends were also staring at the new lifeguard. 

Heather was working at the entrance of the pool for now, she would be lifeguarding after Billy and she still was trying to figure out a plan to get him to date her. Which she found funny, a lesbian trying to get a man to date her. But she needed him as the other male lifeguards were just tragic and she wouldn’t be caught dead out with them. Though as she watched more and more people come into the pool, she had an idea. It was obvious that all the local moms seemed to want Billy if how they were adjusting their bathing suits were any indication. Oh she could work that. 

Billy almost rolled his eyes as he watched Karen Wheeler walk into the pool. Sure the flirting was fun but it was more of a chore to do it than anything else. He needed to be straight here, his dad still called him a fag every chance he got even with all the dates he had been going on. Karen was safe though, she was never going to take up his offers and he could play the pining idiot to other girls. It worked so well as long as it was in moderation, putting up the overcompensating aggressive straight guy front all the time was tiring. Sure he was angry a lot, who wouldn’t be living with Neil but he didn’t have to act so incredibly straight within the walls of his bedroom or all the time at school. 

“Mrs. Wheeler.” He greeted her with a lecherous smile after the third time she walked by his post. “Looking good.” He moved his sunglasses to rest on his head to run his eyes up and down Karen’s body. This was just too easy and honestly wasn’t fun anymore. Flirting with girls used to be fun but Hawkins had just made is necessary and boring. 

Heather had been watching one mom flirt with Billy for the past 15 minutes and honestly it was very disgusting, she was pretty sure that was Nancy Wheeler’s mom and Nancy was literally the same age as Billy. But this was the perfect way to get Billy to agree to her plan, taking off her headphones, she walked out of the entrance Hall and over to the lifeguard post. “So Billy, where we going to dinner tonight? My dad is on the phone and wants to know in case he needs me.” She smiled at him before looking over at Mrs. Wheeler and running her eyes over the other. She was no competition, she wasn’t even in the same league as Heather. 

“Where ever you want.” Billy wasn’t sure where this was going but if it got Karen back to her friends that had been staring at them for like the last 10 minutes that he was all for it. “But why don’t I come talk to your dad for you.” He hopped off the chair and onto the ground next to Heather. “Sorry Mrs. Wheeler, It’s been lovely chatting with you though.” He gave her one last smile before basically dragging Heather to the front. “We’re not going to dinner tonight.”

“Obviously, look I just need my parents off my back and you obviously need Mrs. Wheeler off yours. So just date me and we’ll both be free.” Heather explained crossing her arms to stare up at Billy. She wasn’t going to back down, no one could outlast her with stubborness. “Just take me to the mall on Saturday and we should be good.” Or at least they would be good for a little while but Heather didn’t want to get ahead of herself and scare him off again. 

“Fine.” If this would get Mrs. Wheeler to back off then it would probably be worth it. “Your turn to go back out there though.” If he had to take her to the mall on Saturday she could at least do this for him.

“Whatever.” She could be that bitch, actually she was that bitch and she’d love to see Mrs. Wheeler’s face when Billy didn’t come back out. “But I get the glasses.” She said taking Billy’s sunglasses from him. She would need them if she had to deal with old women glaring at her for taking Billy away and so she could stare at that cute brunette she saw coming in earlier. Turning with a grin, Heather walked back out to the pool area, this was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you can tell don't really enjoy the whole Billy & Karen thing. Mrs. wheeler better after this season but that hasn't happened yet. Come visit my tumblr: whiskeytangofcker.tumblr.com give me prompts for this verse or for any harringrove stuff, I live for it.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Saturday morning and Billy stood in front of his mirror, he was wearing his favorite red shirt. Just because he didn’t need to look good, he didn’t need Neil on his back about girls again or his lack of girls. He was lucky that Max had plans today other he was sure that Neil would have made him take her with. Grabbing his keyes, he made his way to the camaro and over to Heather’s house. She wasn’t as bad as he thought she was but she was still annoying. 

Heather checked herfeld in the mirror one last time, her parents had to think this was a date so she had to look good. Plus there would be cute girls at the mall and she also was hoping to see that girl from the pool again. Hearing the rumble of Billy’s camaro, Heather hurried out the door. She really didn’t need a meet the parents moment yet. Billy hadn’t been prepared for that and she didn’t need him blowing it for them. She gave billy a smile as she slid into the passenger seat. “Where are your tapes?” she knew he had some, everyone had heard his music in the school parking lot. 

“Glove box.” Billy said as he drove towards the new mall. He knew she was a metalhead, she hadn’t let him listen to her walkman at work but there was no way she was that much of a priss. 

Putting in the Scorpions tape she found, Heather looked over at Billy while “Rock You LIke a Hurricane” played over the stereo. “Listen this means nothing and don’t get any ideas otherwise.” She didn’t need her fake boyfriend to really fall in love with her. That would just ruin everything though breaking hearts was fun. But she didn’t need her summer ruined by this. 

“Not going to happen.” It was laughable that she thought he’d fall in love with her. He would rather go out with Karen than fall in love with Heather. 

“Good.” Heather said leaning back and closing her eyes to listen to the music. 

Starcourt Mall was everything it was advertised to be and Billy knew today was going to suck. He hated shopping, he still wasn’t sure why he had agreed to this. Well he knew, Karen Wheeler hadn’t been so overt in her flirting when Heather was around and Heather seemed to enjoy making the moms mad at her. “Look i just need some sunglasses.” Heather said as they walked inside the mall. “So just follow me.” She grabbed his elbow to lead him over to Claire’s like it wasn’t the most offensive store in the mall. 

Shopping with Heather was just as bad as Billy thought it would be. They didn’t just go to claire’s, she dragged him all over the mall to every store possible. Heather needed to be seen with Billy as much as possible to get people talking about them. Plus her dad ran the local paper and she knew that he had a reporter here. “Let’s get some ice cream.” She was honestly sick of shopping and the so very perky shop attendants. They would all hate their jobs in a week she would put money on that. Pulling Billy along to the food court, she saw Scoops Ahoy which had to be the ice cream place. 

“Ahoy.” They were greeted by a female voice and when Heather looked at who was talking it was, oh god, the hot brunette from the pool. Heather wasn’t prepared to see her this upclose or talk to her. Hopefully the boy standing next to her would take their orders. 

“Well if it isn’t King Steve.” Billy grinned when they reached the front of the line and Harrington was standing right behind the register. Oh this was just too good, totally worth being dragged to the mall today. “Or should it be captain Steve?” He asked giving Steve a very obvious wink. It was way too much fun to mess with him plus this really was the only way to flirt with him if he didn’t want to get his ass beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is shorter wanted to get this out today. More Steve and Robin next chapter


	4. Chapter 4

It had been less than one real work day and Steve already hated his job, okay no he didn’t hate Scoops he just hated the customers. They were the worst and Robin agreed with him. She was weird but his only companion so at least she wasn’t the worst. Robin didn’t mind working at Scoops Ahoy though she wasn’t sure about the Steve Harrington part of the equation. “Ahoy.” she greeted as a very cute brunette and a blond boy walked into the shop. There had barely been a break in customers all day. She got it was the grand opening but did people really need ice cream so bad. It meant that she needed a break badly but she couldn’t leave Steve alone or if she did she would have missed the blond boy flirting with him, flirting outrageously with Steve.

“Just order Hargrove.” Steve did not need Billy teasing him about his job. Especially when Steve was in his uniform and Billy looked like that. He was going to steal all the girls.

“Fine, two one scoop USS butterscotch waffle cones.” Billy said digging his wallet out. He would treat Heather to this for providing this entertainment plus she seemed to be frozen in place just staring at Robin. Oh! This was starting to make a lot more sense. Giving Steve one more flirty grin, he pulled Heather out of the store and over to an alcove away from people.

Heather watched a Billy flirted with the Brunette boy, whose name tag read Steve. There was no way this wasn’t flirting, Billy had the same look on his face when he flirted with Mrs. Wheeler with a more genuine look in his eyes. Things were starting to fall into place and it explained so much. She let Billy pull her out of the shop as she started at Robin just a little more. Robin, such a cute name for an equally cute girl.

“You’re gay.” They both said once they were in private before stopping to stare at the other.

“Say anything and you’re dead.” Billy threatened. He didn’t need this getting back to his father and them having to move once again.

“Same goes to you.” Heather crossed her arms making sure not to tip her cone. He parents wouldn’t accept her, she only had one more year till college and getting out of Hawkins. He wouldn’t blow this for her now. “I wont tell if you wont.” She said uncrossing her arms to lick at her cone. “And you take me for ice cream again.”

“Deal.” Billy wouldn’t pass up a chance to see Steve in that uniform again anyways. He was also sure they would become better friends now that they both knew that the other wouldn’t take things too far, They had plenty in common after all.

“Who was that?” Robin asked after the blond and brunette left. Steve obviously knew that boy so he had to know who the cute girl was.

“That was Billy Hargrove.” Steve answered rolling his eyes, great even Robin was taken in by him. Steve had no hope especially with this uniform.

“No not him, the girl.” Robin could care less about Billy though it seemed that Steve cared a lot about him.

“No idea, probably another one of his conquests.” Steve didn’t care, he really didn’t. “You know the rumors.” They were all over the highschool. That Billy had a different girl every week and he left them satisfied. Steve was only kind of jealous.

“Yeah.” Robin sighed. Why did she only get crushes on straight girls? Statistically you would think that at least one of them would like her back.

**Sunday**

Billy woke up to Max banging on his door. “What shitbird?” Billy asked rolling out of bed and slamming his door open.

“Lucas and I broke us.” Max cried. Okay she had dumped him for being a dumbass but that wasn’t important, it still sucked.

“Good, men are dicks.” Billy really didn’t care about her preteen romance but Max was important.

“You’re gay.” Max glared at Billy. What type of advice was that? He liked boys and that was his advice to her?

“Exactly I exclusively like dicks.” Billy gave Max a shit eating grin. “But honestly straight boys suck. Do you wanna go to the pool today?” He asked looking over at his clock. He didn’t have work until 2pm.

“Yes.” Max grinned. She missed the water, sure Billy was the surfer of the two of them but she still enjoyed the ocean.

When Max and Billy got to the pool, Heather was working at the entrance and he gave her a wave as they passed by. “Who’s that?” Max asked when Heather grinned back not closing her magazine.

“Heather, she’s in the same grade as me.” They had talked more when Billy had drove her home the other day. They had a lot in common he had discovered. “Now go change, I got to go clock in.” He nudged Max towards the changing rooms as he walked to the employees only area. Stripping his shirt off, he grabbed his whistle, which was honestly the best part of the job. He just hoped that Mrs. Wheeler wasn’t here today. Walking out to the pool area, he nodded at Freddy and looked for Max. She had claimed a chair near the snack bar, good, he could keep an eye on her easily from his chair.

“Want to get ice cream when you’re done?” Heather asked at 7:30. The pool closed at 8pm on Sundays and the mall at 10.

“Sure but I have to bring Max.” He didn’t like her being alone in the house with Neil and Susan didn’t count. She had stood by and watched him get beat too many times for him to trust her to stop Neil if he went after Max. That was why he had cut back on smoking and other expenses. He would be taking Max back to California with him when he went to Berkeley next year. Sure she would probably hate him again for taking her away from her friends once again but she would be safe.

“Max, want to get ice cream?” He asked once his shift was over and he had done all his closing duties. He was waiting on Heather to finish closing the female changing room, it was always faster closing the mens so he usually finished first.

“Sure.” Anything to keep her mind off Lucas and to not go back to the house.

“Ready to go?” Heather grinned as she walked up to them after locking the women’s room.

“Wait. she’s coming?” Max asked glaring over at Heather. Billy never brought girls to places when he didn’t have to especially was she was around.

“Yeah she’s paying.” Billy grinned digging his car keys out of his jacket pocket.

The drive to the mall was very awkward. Max had stared at Heather the whole time and Heather had flipped through his tapes seemingly not bothered by it but Billy knew that she enjoyed the attention. As they made their way towards the food court, Heather tried to fix her hair. There was only so much she could do since the pool made her wear her hair up for her shifts and she didn’t want to bring all her hair products to work to make it better once she was done.

“Steve.” Max grinned when she spotted her older friend behind the counter at Scoops Ahoy. “I didn’t know you worked here.” She couldn’t wait to tell the others or would they not talk to her because Lucas was their friend first.

“Max.” Steve grinned happy to see the younger girl. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but after Dustin she was his favorite. He just wished that she didn’t come with Billy, he really didn’t need him teasing him again today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my headcanon, Billy is super smart and you can't tell me otherwise


	5. Chapter 5

“Harrington, where’s your better half?” Billy greeted, he didn’t see the girl that Heather liked behind the counter like last time. He was counting on Max’s curiosity about Steve’s new job to get what he wanted or well to get Heather what she wanted. Sure her curiosity had gotten him in trouble before but he hoped it wouldn’t here. 

“Better half?” Max asked not getting what Billy was saying.

“Robin.” Steve said knocking on the sliding window that led to the back. He didn’t get why Billy wanted to see her. Was he really going to hit on another girl in front of his girlfriend. The other had to be his girlfriend otherwise why would he bring her here twice? Billy never seemed to take a girl on a date more than once so this girl had to be special, not like Steve was jealous or anything it was just odd. 

“What?” Robin asked as she opened the glass window, she was on break she didn’t want to be disturbed. “I’m on…” she paused when she saw the cute brunette from yesterday. She was back and here was Robin looking like a bitch with her attitude towards Steve. “Oh hello.” She grinned hoping that it didn’t look completely awkward.

“Hi.” Max grinned giving the new girl a little wave. Oh she really couldn’t wait to tell the others about this, screw Lucas, they were her friends too and this was too good to pass up. “I’m Max, Steve’s best friend.” She was hoping Steve would rise to the bait. While her and Billy weren’t biologically related they did have some things in common and teasing people to annoyance was one of them.

“She’s not my best friend.” Steve denied crossing his arms and looking over at Robin.

“Oh right, I forgot it’s Dustin.” Max grinned, she missed her friend but she knew he was probably having fun at science camp. 

“Whose Dustin?” Robin asked looking back and forth between Steve and the little redheaded girl. This was going to be interesting, she didn’t know Steve actually knew any kids let alone enough to actively talk to them. She remembered Steve being a douche in school, when had he bonded with these kids. 

“A kid I babysit, he’s basically my younger brother.” Steve honestly loved Dustin way more than he ever thought he would when he first met the kid. He was just a cool little kid and Steve was glad that he had met him even if the circumstances weren’t the best, he still had the occasional nightmare about the tunnels. 

“As nice as this is, can Heather and I order?” Billy asked rolling his eyes. He really didn’t need to hear about the geek squad more than what Max already talked about and it was like all she talked about. He didn’t want to stand here all day listening to that. He held back a small grunt when Heather elbowed him in the side. Right, she couldn’t stare at Robin if she actually had to pay attention to things.

Heather, the cute girl’s name was Heather. “Course, what can I get you?” She asked sliding over the counter to stand behind the display freezer. She wanted to hear the other girl speak, Robin bet that she had a nice voice. 

“Right two one scoop U.S.S butterscotch waffle cones and…” Heather paused to look over at Billy’s younger sister. She didn’t really like ice cream all that much but she would eat it if it meant she would get to see Robin more. 

“What do you suggest, Steve?” Max asked, she hadn’t had ice cream in a long time. Neil didn’t really allow sweets in the house, and they didn’t really have the money to buy non-essential food. Actually, Max was pretty sure the last time she had ice cream was in California before everything went down. 

“How about I surprise you?” Steve asked not wanting to say the totally embarrassing name of the banana split out loud. Whoever created Scoops Ahoy went way overboard, overboard hah, with the nautical names. See it even had Steve making puns now without even trying. God this job sucked but at least he wasn’t working for his dad. 

“How much?” Heather asked digging in her purse for her wallet. 

“No it’s on me.” Steve said, he didn’t want to charge her for Max’s dish since he was surprising her and it was one of the more expensive items on the menu. Looking over at Robin, he hoped that she wouldn’t say anything about this. They weren’t supposed to give ice cream away even if it was the end of the day and there was almost nothing in the tub left.

“Thanks.” Heather grinned not looking at Steve but at Robin. She still didn’t get why all the girls in school used to be obsessed with Steve, he wasn’t that good looking and honestly seemed a little dumb to her. “Let’s sit over here.” She said pulling Billy over to a booth that would be far enough that Robin and Steve wouldn’t hear them talking but they could still stare at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im probably going to do a week per chapter until we hit the start of s3 because as much as I love Heather and Billy being bffs there is only so many times I can write them going to scoops and not have it be the same thing over and over which it already kind of is.


	6. Chapter 6

“So do you like Heather?” Billy asked Max after they had dropped Heather off back at her house. He wanted his sister to like Heather since he would be watching Max a lot this summer and Heather and him were on the way to becoming friends.

“She seems okay.” Max shrugged, she didn’t get why Billy was hanging out with this girl. But she also knew that Billy needed real friends, Tommy and Carol didn’t count they were super annoying. “I mean she’s not like your other friends.” Which compared to Tommy was good but his friends back home were different, better in Max’s opinion. Before things fell to shit, she loved hanging out with them at the beach.

“No, she’s not.” Billy said with a small frown, he missed his friends from California but he hadn’t really made an effort to contact them because he knew it would be worse for him because he would want to go back now no matter the consequences and if Neil saw the phone bill and the long distance calls, Billy was sure another hospital visit was in his future. “So are you hanging out with the geek squad tomorrow or do you want to come to work with me again?” He would never admit it but he missed went they spent time together when they weren’t angry at each other and since they’ve been in Hawkins it hadn’t been that way.

“I’m gonna hang out with The Party.” Max said as they pulled up to their house. She couldn’t wait to spill the secret of Steve’s job, she was sure Dustin probably knew but he wasn’t here so she got the honor. “Can you pick me up though?” She missed Billy as much as he missed her, she hoped this would be the start of fixing everything.

“Sure.” Billy said grabbing his jacket from the backseat and locking his car. While this was a small town and everyone knew his car and if anyone tried to steal it, it would be easy to find but he didn’t need Neil messing it up.

**Monday 9pm**

  
“Lucas is such an idiot.” Max announced as she climbed into Billy’s car. She had a nice day of hanging out with the guys and going to see Steve at his house to tease him about his job until Lucas had to ruin it.

“What did he do?” Billy asked, he really didn’t care but he knew if he didn’t ask she would tell him anyways. He wanted to care but he just hated tween romances and shit like that.

“Everything was fine until he decided to ask about our date on Wednesday like hello? Did he forget I broke up with him and it was so awkward because everyone was there and they didn’t know and I had to tell them. Even Mike was there and he’s like never there anymore.” Max ranted crossing her arms and blowing a piece of hair out of her face. Why was Lucas such an idiot?

“Right.” Mike? Who was Mike? Billy only really knew who Lucas was the rest were kind of interchangeable to him. He should probably change that but that would mean actually having to talk to them and no thanks. “So just get new friends?” Really what kind of suggestion was that? Billy wanted to smack himself for that, who just says that.

“As if, they’re like the coolest people in town.” Max loved her new friends and after everything they’ve been through she wouldn’t get rid of them for the world. Yes Max missed her old friends from California but The Party was the best friends she always wanted. “Can we not go home?” She knew her mom and Neil would be there and while Neil didn’t treat her like he treated Billy, he still had expectations for her behavior expectations that she would never achieve. She wasn’t a frilly girl who loved pink and wanted to wear dresses, she wasn’t Daddy’s Little Girl. She was Max, the chick who liked to skateboard, took no shit from anyone, and missed her older brother. She would never be the daughter Neil really wanted and she didn’t care anymore. Neil could go fuck himself if he tried to change her again.

“Sure.” Billy would do most anything to get out of going back to his house when Neil was there. During the school year it was hard because Max had a curfew and he had to watch her but during the summer Neil didn’t care. He was probably glad that Billy wasn’t around that he could pretend he didn’t have such a fuck up of a son. Driving was Billy’s one solace in this town, it let him clear his head and let him focus on one thing. It helped drive the anger away when things got too loud in his head and he just wanted to punch something but he never wanted to get like he was at the Byer’s house that night again. “Where do you want to go?” He would be fine just driving but he couldn’t waste gas like that anymore, he needed to save money.

“Just not home.” Max really didn’t care where they went, she just wanted to get away. While she loved Hawkins, it was just so small and it felt like everyone knew everyone and they didn’t want outsiders. She was lucky she found The Party and she was glad they were her friends even if Eleven still didn’t like her which meant that Mike only kind of tolerated her.

“Okay but you never tell anyone what we’re going to do.” He could get fired for this but the ocean was what they had first bonded over and the pool was the closest he could get. It was 9:30 and the pool would have been closed for a half hour by now. It was only open later on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Turning on the road to lead them back to the pool, Billy gave Max a look showing her he was serious about this. He didn’t want to get fired from his job, he needed it badly.

“Whatever.” Max wasn’t going to tell on Billy, she remembered the outcome last time she did and she didn’t want that to happen again. “Better be worth it.” As much as she didn’t mean to she couldn’t stop the aggression in her tone just like sometimes Billy looked like he wanted to yell at her. They were both working on it.

She couldn’t help the grin that came to her face as they pulled into the pool parking lot. “Are we?” She asked looking over at Billy, she always loved the water at night even if this wasn’t going to be as beautiful as the ocean and star it was something.

“Come on.” Billy said grabbing his keys, he had one for the front gate since he usually was the one closing since most people wanted the early shift so they could then go party with their friends but with Tommy and Carol on vacation he didn’t have to act like he wanted to go to them so it was easier to have an excuse not to. Unlocking the front gate, Billy locked it behind them and hoped that if anyone drove by they would just think he was finishing working or just ignore his car like they tended to do. He knew people thought his family was white trash and maybe they were, Neil was. Only the stay at home moms seemed to like him which he still found weird and gross, he was their kids age and they wanted to fuck him.

“Can we talk?” Max asked sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. She patted the concrete next to her, she wanted no needed to get things out in the open with him. “Look” She started once Billy had sat down next to her. “I don’t want to fight anymore, things have sucked since we moved and I know, I know it was my fault. I shouldn’t have said anything but he made me and I’m sorry. I want to be brother and sister again, no step. Billy, you were my best friend and everything sucked when we moved and I couldn’t even talk to you about it. I know everything’s not going to be magically fixed but can we just try. Try to be better again because I miss you.” No, she was not crying because she didn’t cry about anything. “I really miss you.” She wiped her eyes, he did not get to see her cry.

“It’s not your fault, Neil would have found out even if you hadn’t told him. It’s not your fault. I’d like that, I miss you too, kid.” He put his arm around Max’s shoulder, he didn’t know what to say. Billy could write amazing essays but when it came to saying what he felt out loud it just didn’t come out right. “We’ll work on it, starting with this.” He grinned, leaning forward and pulling Max into the pool with him.

“Hey.” Max says as she resurfaces from the water. “Not cool.” She pushes at Billy’s shoulder to try to force him under the water. “So not cool, I’m in jeans.” He was still in his swim trunks, it was so unfair. This was nice, just the two of them hanging out like they used to. “Thanks.” Max said softly after about an hour of them splashing around in the water. They were now laying on two pool chairs looking up at the night sky. “This was fun.”

“It was 11 o’clock when Billy and Max decided to drive back home. It had been a good night and Billy had to fight to keep a smile off of his face. Tonight had been good, he missed hanging out with Max, she was cool for a fourteen year old not that he would ever admit it. Pulling up to their house, Billy wrapped his arm around Max’s shoulders.

“Can we do this again?” Max asked as he unlocked the door.

“Yeah.” He started and then stopped when he saw Neil seated at the kitchen table. “Go to your room.” He nudged at Max’s back. She didn’t need to see what was going to happen.

“You’re late.” Neil stated not rising from his chair.

“Go.” Billy pushed Max when she hesitated. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“What do we talk about?” Neil asked as he stalked towards Billy.

“Respect and respons…” Billy felt the air escape his lungs and Neil’s fist slammed into his stomach.

“And it wasn’t very responsible to keep Max out all night without calling, was it?” Neil asked winding his fist into Billy’s hair and pulled his head back.

“No sir.” Billy answered still trying to catch his breath but unable to as another fist slammed into his stomach again.

“What am I going to do with you? You never learn.” Neil threw Billy to the floor. “Get out of my sight.” Neil hissed stepping on Billy’s hand as he walked to his bedroom.

Billy bit back a groan as he lifted himself off the ground. He knew today had been too good to be true. “Are you okay?” He startled when he got into his room. Billy was ready to flop onto his bed and pass out. He was not expecting Max to be there sitting on his bed.

“I’m fine, go to your bedroom before he finds out.” Billy didn’t want Max to see him like this, didn’t want her to see his shame. If he was better maybe Neil wouldn’t beat him.

“I’m sorry I should have made you just take me home. You’d be fine if I did.”

“It’s not your fault, if not this he would find another reason” because deep down Billy knew that even if he did everything perfectly Neil would still beat him. “Just go to bed, Max.” He didn’t want to talk about it and he didn’t want to get mad at Max and he could feel his anger simmering right under the surface of his skin.

Billy really didn’t want to go to work today, he could feel the bruise forming on his stomach. At least he had Wednesday and Thursday off though he and Heather had plans tomorrow to go see their favorite ice cream shop employees. But he had his first swim lesson today and he wasn’t one hundred percent certain he wouldn’t be in pain by then, even with the pain killers. As he was getting ready for work, Billy tried not to wince every time he moved. Neil got him good last night and Billy really hoped that Mrs. Wheeler wouldn’t be there today. He wasn’t sure that he had the energy to flirt today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was hard to write the Neil scene so sorry if it sucks.


	7. Chapter 7

“Let’s go to the pool” Max suggested after Mike ditched them again and they were hanging out in his own basement. It was getting so annoying that he kept ditching them.   
“Sounds good.” Will said anything to get out of this house and the tension ever since Max and Lucas broke it, he thought it was awkward being the third wheel but this was worse though Lucas had a plan to win her back. 

“Hi Heather.” Max waved a half hour later once they had changed and got their supplies. 

“Hi Max, Billy’s not off until later.” The pool was being drained tonight so it meant that Adam was closing since he was the manager. 

“I know. We’re here to swim. This is Lucas and Will.” Max introduced, pointing to each one as she said their names. “Come on.” she grabbed bother their wrists to pull them towards the pool. She wanted to go swimming and didn’t want to wait. 

“Have fun.” Heather grinned flipping a page into her magazine and turning her walkman back on. 

“Why was she talking about your brother?” Will asked, he hadn’t actually met Billy. He’d only heard the tales from the others about what he had done. 

“He’s a lifeguard here.” Max said spotting her brother at his post and gave him a small wave. 

“Great, I’d rather down.” Lucas complained as they set their stuff down on a lounge chair in the shade. 

“Wait, That’s Billy??” Will asked as Max hit Lucas on the arm with a “Hey!” Why hadn’t anybody warned him that Billy looked like _that._ Will felt a blush rise to his face and tried to hide it by messing with their stuff to find the sunscreen. 

“Yeah.” Max said taking off her clothes to expose her bathing suit and walking over the edge of the pool. “Now let’s have fun.” Make Mike regret ditching them again. The pool was much better with her friends and it was even better when Lucas apologized and asked to get back together. 

“I gotta stay, Billy’s going to drive me.” Max said after a few hours of playing in the pool. She wanted to ride with him to see if Billy really was okay after last night, she couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

“Are you sure?” Lucas asked, they were at the bike rack and it would be easy for him to drop Max off. 

“Yeah.” Max said giving Lucas a peck on the cheek. “Plus I want to swim more.” The party was going to see a movie tomorrow so she wouldn’t get to go swimming. She really missed the ocean. She missed that Billy wouldn’t get to teach her to surf like he promised her this summer. 

“Hey.” Billy said after his shift, she was waiting at his car leaning against the trunk. “I’m okay.” He saw the look in her eyes, it was the same look she had when she had visited him in the hospital. “I swear.” He wasn’t but he wasn’t going to tell her that. He didn’t want to go home but he knew he needed to. “Did you have fun?” He didn’t know what to talk about. Last night had been easy but today still felt stilted. Their relationship wasn’t fixed and it wouldn’t be for a while but he wanted to work on it. 

“Yeah.” Max said putting her skateboard in the trunk. “But it’s going to be more than amazing when we tell Mike. Serves him right for ditching us.” She crossed her arms, she wasn’t cool with him constantly ditching them for Eleven so they had decided to make him jealous with all the fun they were having without him. 

“Right.” Billy replied as he started up the car. He still hadn’t figured out which of her friends were which but he had got that one of them had a little girlfriend that didn’t hang out with the rest of them. 

**Wednesday**

“My dad invited the new intern from his work to dinner tonight.” Heather complained as she got into the Camaro. “So I need you to come freak him out.” She did not need some loser pining over her. 

“Sure.” Billy would love the chance to scare the guy off, it would be fun. 

“Plus my mom gave me 20 dollars, help me pick out the worst dress possible.” Heather wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t experienced it but Billy gave great fashion advice. 

“Sounds good.” Billy would never tell anyone but he liked shopping. It was the only time he could try on clothes where he didn’t have to worry about Neil barging in and calling him a faggot. “I’ll make sure it’s atrocious.” Her parents wouldn't know what hit him. 

“I think this is the one.” Heather said pulling a pink and blue monstrosity of a dress off the rack. It had poofy shoulders and ruffles at the bottom. Billy was certain that she would be the only person to buy this dress ever. Heather couldn’t wait to watch the intern struggle to compliment her, it was going to be awesome if the cashier’s response was anything to go by. “Wanna go get some ice cream?” She asked like she didn’t know what the answer was going to be. 

Robin was bored, there were only some many times she could watch Steve strike with girls before it got too pathetic. She thought working at the mall was going to be fun but sometimes it really sucked. Though it looked like her day was going to brighten up as Heather and Billy walking in. “Ahoy.” She greeted knocking on the glass divider. She liked watching Steve make a fool of himself once Billy left. “Two U.S.S Butterscotch waffle cones again?” Robin asked with a grin. 

“You remembered?” Heather bit back a smile and a blush. The cute girl remembered her ice cream order. Okay, she knew it was probably because of Billy but a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

“Of course.” Robin said hoping Steve would come to the front before she stuck her foot in her mouth. It always seemed to happen in front of pretty girls. 

“Oh, it’s you.” Steve said as he came to the front and saw the two people standing in front of the display freezer. Why was Billy here again? His uniform was already embarrassing enough without Billy coming here turning into a regular thing. 

“Hi pretty boy, love the shorts.” Billy grinned, he could not get over that uniform. He was sure it wasn’t supposed to look so sinful but there was something about Steve. 

“Shut it, Hargrove.” Honestly how had Billy convinced this poor girl to go out with him. Steve didn’t have a clue and he kind of felt sorry for her. 

Billy and Heather stayed in Scoops Ahoy for about an hour before they had to go get ready for dinner. It was going to be an interesting night. “I’m home.” Heather called pulling Billy up the stairs before her parents could see him. She wanted it to be a surprise that she bought a boy home when they were trying to set her up. The dressed was honestly worse on Heather than the rack and she loved it. 

“Heather, your Father is home and he brought a guest.” Her mother yelled. 

“Coming.” Heather said. “I got a new dress.” She grabbed Billy’s hand and pulled him down the stairs after her. “Oh and this is Billy, my boyfriend.” She announced to her parents’ stunned faces. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her dress or Billy. It was hilarious either way. “Who’s this?” She asked looking over at the boy her dad brought home. It was Jonathan Byers, did her parents really think she was so desperate for a boyfriend that she would lower herself to date Jonathan Byers? 

“Who’s that?” He mother answered obviously she had missed Heather’s introduction.

“Billy Hargrove, Ma’am.” He gave Mrs. Holloway his best smile and stuck a hand out. He knew how to charm housewives, it was just too easy in this town. A smile with a few compliments and they were hooked. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Billy works at the pool with me. I thought since dad was bringing a coworker home I could do the same.” Heather gave her mother her best innocent smile like this hadn’t been completely planned.

Dinner was exactly as awkward as Heather had hoped it would be. Her parents didn’t know what to say to her and Jonathan looked like her wanted to be anywhere else but here though Heather was sure he hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. 

“The chicken is wonderful, Mrs. Holloway.” Billy said breaking the silence. He didn’t mind it but Heather wanted him to play the perfect boyfriend and he would oblige for now. 

“Thank you, Billy.” Heather could tell that her mother was fighting a glare. Billy was not the boy her parents had expected her to bring home nor the one they wanted. He wasn’t rich and to them that meant he had no future. 

“So Jonathan, how’s the photography.” Billy felt a little bad for Byers. He hadn’t signed up for this and obviously didn’t know the Holloways were trying to set up him. He was sure Jonathan would never willingly break up with Nancy. 

“It’s good.” Jonathan ducked his head, he didn’t want to be drawn into this. He had only said yes to this dinner because Tom was his boss and he needed to be on good terms with him. He didn’t need whatever this all was with Billy Hargrove. 

“Dinner was wonderful, Mrs. Holloway.” Though it hadn’t improved from the sad little small talk. “I hope we can do this again.” Billy knew that they would never invite him back which had been Heather’s plan. “Byers, need a ride?”

“Sure.” Jonathan had realized halfway through the dinner that Mr. Holloway had been trying to set him with Heather and he really didn’t want to talk to him since he had to know that Nancy was his girlfriend. They both worked at the post so it wasn’t like they didn’t know each other. So a ride home with Billy was the lesser of two evils. 

“See you Friday.” Heather grinned. Tonight had gone wonderfully exactly as she had planned. 

**Friday 12pm**

Steve woke up to his doorbell ringing. It was his day off, he deserved to sleep in. “What?’ He asked opening his door ten minutes later, they ringing still hadn’t stopped. 

“Hi.” Max grinned taking her finger off the doorbell. “Take us to the pool.” It was so hot today and Mike hopefully wouldn’t ditch them if they went to the pool and had fun. 

“Fine.” Steve missed hanging out with The Party though it wouldn’t be the same without Dustin. Steve was also glad that they wanted to go to the public pool, it was hard to look at his own after everything. “Do you have a curfew, Max?” He had learned fast that Max’s parents were really strict though he hadn’t actually met them. 

“No Billy’s taking me home.” Max said as they walked into the pool. Heather was up on the chair with her sunglasses on. So that meant Billy was either manning the snack bar or in the back. 

Steve could admit the pool was a good idea though it was very crowded. “Steve.” A voice broke though his thoughts. 

“Oh Mrs. Wheeler, Hi.” He liked the woman though he hadn’t been expecting to her here. 

“Is Mike here?” She asked eyeing the lifeguard stand, Heather was coming down. 

“Yeah the whole party is here.” Steve said pointing to where they were playing in the water. 

“Guess who’s here.” Heather grinned as Billy stepped out to switch positions with here. Great, that meant that the stay at home moms were here which he understood because it was sweltering outside but that didn’t mean he wanted them here. 

“Harrington, Mrs. Wheeler.” He grinned, he had not expected Steve to be here today. “How are things today.” He kept his eyes on Karen, he didn’t need any rumors about him starting up about him that he didn’t want and Karen was a huge gossip. 

“Hi Billy.” She greeted touching his arm lightly giving him a coy smile. 

“Why is your brother talking to my mom?” Mike asked watching the scene on the side of the poo. “Why is Billy even here?”

“Billy works here.” Max said ignoring Mike’s first question, she knew Billy had some sort of plan so she was going to leave that mess alone. 

Steve hadn’t realized Billy was a lifeguard and he hadn’t expected to see him so shirtless, it set him on edge and Steve didn’t know why. “You staying Max?” Steve asked, it was 7pm and they had been at the pool all day and Steve was tired of avoiding Billy’s gaze. Even though he had sunglasses on, Steve felt like someone had been looking at him all day. 

“Yeah.” She would never get enough of the water, it was in her blood. 

“So was Mike there today?” Billy asked after he finished all his closing duties. 

“Yeah though it was probably because Steve was there but he talked about his girlfriend way too much.” Sure Eleven was cool but she hated Max, so Max didn’t want to hear about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so some of you might not like the will has a crush on billy thing but it's more like he just thinks shirtless billy is cute like anyone should not like he actually has a crush on him.


	8. Chapter 8

Heather and Billy had been bonding the past two weeks that they had known each other and Billy would consider her to be his best friend. Heather was glad that she had chosen Billy to be here fake boyfriend because she wouldn’t have made a real friend otherwise. Billy wasn’t like anyone she would have willingly talked to before but he was the best.

They had visited scoops 5 times the past two weeks and every time they had been too scared to talk to their respective crushes. 

“Okay go get us ice cream.” Billy said as they took their normal seats in Scoops Ahoy, just far enough that it wasn’t completely obvious that they were staring at Steve and Robin. 

“Uh no Robin’s working that means you get to do it.” Heather said as she subtly fixed her hair. Just because she wasn’t going to talk to Robin didn’t mean that she didn’t want to look good.

“I thought today was the day you were going to talk to her.” Billy knew that Heather said that every time they went to Scoops but that wouldn’t stop him from teasing the other girl.

“Oh so you’re going to talk to Steve?” Heather raised an eyebrow at Billy.  
“Fine.” Billy grabbed the money from Heather to get in the line of people.

Robin was dying, Heather had been in twice this week and looked amazing both times. It was so unfair that she was straight. 

“Hello ladies.” Ugh, Robin rolled her eyes, she didn’t need to hear Steve flirting again. She didn’t even want to make another line in the you suck category of the white board, it was just getting boring. 

Steve really missed Dustin, his camp needed to be over faster. The Party wasn’t the same without him, sure they visited but it was mostly to go see movies using the back way. Steve knew Dustin would actually want to sit and talk with Stever and he missed listening to Dustin ramble about nerd things and get so excited about them. Man, Dustin really not the best, he may not be his brother by blood but he was Steve’s little brother anyways. 

“Steve! I didn’t know you worked here.” Claudia Henderson had decided to go shopping today since Dusty came home in a week and a half and she wanted to surprise him with the new D&D book. 

“Mrs. Henderson.” Steve grinned at the woman who came into the shop. Claudia Henderson was a god among women and if Steve could pick a mom she would be his. She had kind of adopted him anyways and he really wanted Dustin to come home so they could have sunday movie nights like they used to. “Yeah, I wanted to make some money.” and prove to his dad that he didn’t need to work for him. 

“That’s good. Dusty comes home on June 30th. Come to dinner that night.” She missed Steve coming over and hanging out, she was glad that Dustin had someone like Steve in his life. 

“I wish but I work that entire week but the next one for sure.” He missed Mrs. Henderson’s cooking, his own just wasn’t the same. He also just liked being at the Henderson’s, it felt more like a home to him than his own. 

Billy didn’t mind the swim lessons as it was an extra 75 cents on his paycheck but the kids, he swore, were trying to kill themselves not learn how to swim. But it reminded him of his broken promises, one to Max to teach her how to surf. He also didn’t mind since he got the rest of the day off. “Dad, you’re home early.” Billy said wishing he had stayed at the pool for Heather’s shift instead of saying he’d come back to pick her up. He hadn’t expected to see his father in the living room, when he was supposed to be at work. 

“This is my house, why shouldn’t I be here?” Oh God, Billy hoped he hadn’t been fired again. “Well, boy?” Billy knew this was a trap no matter how he answered, it would be wrong even if he didn’t say anything.

Billy groaned as he climbed into the camaro, he could feel his left eye swelling up and his back probably looked like a Jackson Pollock painting, molted in different hues of colors with some lines of scratches from Neil’s ring. Every breath he took it felt like his whole body was rattling. He had been extra mean today. He had to have been fired, Billy really hoped that he hadn’t though. 

“What happened?” Billy had not looked like that when he had left the pool earlier. He looked like he had gotten hit by a truck. Sure, she knew the rumors of his fighting but she’d never seen the results. 

“Got into a fight.” He tried to shrug but it hurt to raise his arms. Neil had done some damage today and Billy didn’t know how he was going to go to work tomorrow when he knew he was going to look even worse. 

“Well you know what will make you feel better? Ice cream.” Heather grinned hoping to take Billy’s mind of his injuries. 

“As long as you’re paying.” Billy didn’t want to face Steve like this but anything to not go home. 

“Aho- What happened to you?” Steve hadn’t been expecting to see Billy looking like death warmed over. He had expected Heather and Billy to come based on the fact they always seemed to be here but Billy never looked like that. 

“Mind your own business.” Billy snapped, he didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to keep lying to the guy he liked about his injuries. he didn’t want to lie at all but he remembered the last time he told the truth about Neil and what the consequences were. “How about you just do your job.” He sneered, the anger he had felt for the past week had come bubbling to the surface and Billy really didn’t want to let it out at Steve again. 

“Whatever.” Steve rolled his eyes and walking to the back, he didn’t need this. He didn’t need Billy’s attitude when he got that daily from irate moms. “Robin, it’s your turn. I’m sure Billy will be happy to see you.” and wasn’t that the kicker, Robin was a nobody in their school and Billy would rather see her than him. 

“What was that?” Heather hissed when they were left alone. Was Billy trying to ruin this for her, well them? “Are you trying to get us banned?” Could they even do that here? Heather had banned three bitches from the pool but they had deserved it really.

“Let’s just go, I’ll make it up to you.” He still felt the anger under his skin and the little control that he had earlier was gone. 

“Okay?” Robin was confused as to why Steve had come into the back looking like someone had pissed in his cornflakes but she wasn’t going to push it. Everyone had days where everything sucked and maybe it was one for Steve. “There’s no one here.” She said walking into the front and seeing the empty store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to start season 3 by chapter 10 because I have one more chapter of Max and Billy bonding half done but I wanted to get this out


	9. Chapter 9

When Max got home the house was quiet but that didn’t stop her from looking around to make sure no one was home. There wasn’t anyone there but she had found blood spots on the linoleum floor. What had Neil done? And where was Billy? Creeping into his room, she saw that it was undisturbed so she was going to wait. She needed Billy to be okay, she couldn’t see him broken again. Billy was loud and confident and seeing him as the opposite had nearly broken her and nearly completely destroyed their relationship but now they were hopefully getting back to how things were before. Relaxing back on Billy’s bed, Max grinned at the ceiling. This summer was turning out better than expected.

“Max.” Billy had dropped Heather off after the mishap at the ice cream shop and he just wanted to collapse on his bed and pass out. He was in so much pain, he hadn’t been ready for Neil to be home then. He also hadn’t been expecting Max to be in his room let alone laying on his bed when he came home. He thought she would have been out longer with her friends.

“Billy!” Max grinned at her brother until she took in his appearance. “What happened?”

“Neil lost his job.” Billy sat on the bed next to Max and it felt like a brick had been lifted off his chest. Billy barely knew a life without pain and he couldn’t remember the last time he wasn't even in a low level of pain.

“He lost his job?” Max asked that was good and her mom wasn’t here to be a buffer, she was in Indianapolis to visit family. “Want some ice?”

“No just company.” Anything to keep his mind off the pain and his mistake at Scoops.

“Really?” Billy never wanted company when it was really bad. Max was pretty sure it was just because he didn’t want her to see him in pain and see the true extent of Neil’s cruelty like she didn’t already know.

“Yes.” Billy felt the anger rising again and he needed a distraction. Max knew him and his anger, she could withstand an outburst. “Don’t worry he’ll get another job.” Though Billy wasn’t sure about that anymore with the mall killing tons of jobs in town. “Wanna come to work with me tomorrow? I’m closing.” Want to avoid Neil as long as possible? Was the unasked question.

“Yeah.”

Billy woke up early, he had to get to Gary and back before his shift. He was going to keep his promise, he just had to hide it before it was seen.

“Hurry up, shitbird.” Billy didn’t want to be late to work, he actually liked his job.

“Coming.” Max yelled from her room. “Gotta go.” She turned her radio off. She had been talking to Will but she hadn’t invited him though she did want someone to hang out with today she didn’t want to share Billy or lose their time after the pool was closed.

**10 pm**

“Did you have fun?” Billy asked locking the gate in front of them leaving them the only two left inside the pool.

“Yeah.” It was okay, she wished her friends were there with her but she would never tire of the water.

“Well I gotta go grab something, I’ll catch up.” Billy had stashed his purchase in the staff room. He hadn’t wanted Max to see it before he was able to surprise her with it and he knew Neil would break it.

“Wait, Why do you have a surfboard.” Max asked, she had gotten back into the water while she had been waiting for Billy. She had not expected him to come back with a simple yellow surfboard in hand. It was nothing like Billy’s old board but she knew that he wouldn’t try to replace that one either. “Where did you get that?”

“Doesn’t matter.” He wasn’t going to admit he had drove for like six hours today to go to the closest surf shop to buy a board for Max. He put the board in the water before getting it himself, “I promised to teach you and this is the best we’re going to get.” He wanted to make up for the past and the future. It was going to be a bumpy road getting back to where they used to be but Billy wanted to try.

“Can Will come with us tomorrow?” Max asked after about two hours of surfing lessons, she had able to stand for about 3 seconds with Billy holding the board.

“Which one is Will?” Was that the annoying one?

“The quiet one with the bowl cut.” Max said still hyped up from Billy’s surprise. It would never be the real thing but it was good enough for her. “The one that went missing last year.”

“Byer’s brother.” Billy remembered him now the one who died but didn’t. He had looked a few things about Hawkins when they first got here, he didn’t want to go in blind. “Sure as long as someone can pick him up or he can stay because you really need work.” He teased tipping the board to the side causing Max to fall into the water. Tonight had been good and he wanted another night with worry, another night where he forgot his pain.

**Thursday 2:30pm**

  
“Hi Will.” Max grinned as the boy climbed into the camaro. She had never really spent time alone with Will and this would be a good chance to know him without the others around. “Will Jonathan be picking you up?”

“I said I’d sleep over if that’s okay.” Will said, he didn’t want to bother his family so late and his mom while she had scaled back on her over-protectiveness she still had moments where she went overboard.

“That’s fine.” Neil hadn’t been home yesterday, Billy and Max were pretty sure he was on a bender so he wouldn’t be home for a few days. “Right Billy.” She knew he friends were intimidated by her brother for a good reason but she wanted that to change.

“Sure.” Billy said leaning back and grinning at Will, his sunglasses blocking his eyes. “It’s no problem.” He would try to make it up to Max’s friends and this was a good was a good starting point.

“Thanks.” Will stuttered out, a small blush heating up his cheeks.

“Heather’s working today. She can take you for ice cream later if you want.” He still wasn’t ready to face Steve again but he didn’t want to stop Heather from seeing Robin.

“Heather?” From what Will had heard Billy only really hung out with Steve’s old friends.

“My girlfriend.” Billy didn’t want to keep up the lie in front of Max but he didn’t need Will telling his brother, especially after the whole dinner fiasco, and the wrong rumors start spreading.

Max was glad that she had invited Will to come swimming with her today thought it was a little awkward with his giant crush on Billy, but she was used to this. Her friends back in Cali had crushes on Billy too until they figured out her was gross so she was sure Will would figure that out as well and it would go away. “Just wait here.” Max said when Will got up as the last call to leave was sounded. “Billy lets us stay after sometimes.” All the time but she didn’t want that spreading and her friends trying to use her alone time with her brother.

“That’s cool.” Jonathan’s job was kind of lame thought it involved his passion so Will wouldn’t say anything against it but he didn’t see how it was fun either.

“Wanna learn to surf?” Max asked when Billy walked back to the with a surfboard. “Billy promised to teach me this summer.”

“Don’t worry about sucking, Max sucks too.” Billy grinned it was easy to tell her was teasing Max and that it wasn’t meant as an insult.

“Hey! But really Will, it’s fun. Billy’s really good.” He wasn’t the best that Max had seen but she knew Billy once dreamed of going pro and probably could have if they hadn’t moved and he kept practicing.

“No, I think I’ll just swim.” Will didn’t want to embarrass himself even though he doubted they would care. He didn’t like so much attention on him and it was easier to fade into the background.

“You’re going to the movie’s tomorrow right?” Billy asked trying to keep Will included in the conversation.

“Yeah it’s going to be fun.” Max said. “And since it’s a movie, Mike can’t talk about El.”

“Like you and Lucas aren’t just as bad.” Will teased, he didn’t mind Max and Lucas as much as Mike and El as at last they actually hung out with the Party and didn’t constantly ditch.

“Oh please Lucas and I are barely back on.” Max was starting to realize she didn’t get the hype behind dating and that boys were gross, she probably should have realized that because of Billy but she thought that was just because he was her brother. “Hey don’t roll your eyes.” She leaned down and smacked Billy’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry I don’t care about your little preteen romance.”

“Romance? What do you know about romance? You’re just using Heather.” Max didn’t get why she was hurt by Billy’s statement.

“Hey, we’re using each other.” There was a difference.

“Oh, Oh!” It all made sense to her now.

“Say anything and you’re dead.” Billy could tell that Max had figured something out and glanced over at Will to make sure he hadn’t caught onto what they were talking about.

“I won't.” The “not again.” was implied with her tone and the fact that Max averted her eyes.

“I know, so do you need a ride tomorrow?” Billy asked trying to change the conversation. They didn’t need the past hanging over their heads like that. Neil would have found out one way or another and Billy had to stop blaming Max as much as he wanted to.

“No we’re going to take the bus.” It was easier than having to coordinate rides with everyone. “And we have to finish Dustin’s surprise up anyways.” He was coming home the coming Saturday and the Party had planned to surprise him with El at his house.

“He’s the one with the hat, right.” Billy really had to start remembering which of Max’s friends were which. “Where has he been anyways?” He was going to start to try to care about her friends thought he was sure it was going to be a chore because they were boring.

“Science camp.” Will was kind of jealous that Dustin got to go to a camp for his interests, thought Will would never ask his Mom to pay for something like that. He knew their money situation would never let him do something like that and he wouldn’t be ashamed about it either. He loved his mother and everything she had done for him, she was the only one who never stopped believing in him and that he was alive when he was trapped in the upside down.

“Nerd camp.” Max answered at the same time. She loved her friends, she really did, but they were total nerds. “And thank god he’s back, Steve’s complained like every time we’re there about Dustin. Like I get it, you’re basically brothers but stop. If you ever start that with anyone, I’m disowning you.” Max turned to Billy to show that she was serious. Their relationship was between them and no one else and she would keep it that way.

“Never.” Billy agreed that would never be their style of relationship. “Now let’s get you guys home so you can sleep.” So he could sleep, he had work again tomorrow and he promised Heather to make it up to her and tomorrow was as good as any.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long, I write it out by hand before typing and I just have been too tired from work to want to type it up when i get home. Season 3 should start next chapter

**Author's Note:**

> This was prompted from my drabbles on my tumblr, https://whiskeytangofcker.tumblr.com/tagged/Billy-%26-heather, give me prompts for the verse there or just cry about season 3 with me


End file.
